Tim Sheens has borrowed a line from the Des Hasler coaching manual with his insistence upon arrival in England that the Kangaroos should not be favourites for the Four Nations title.
Australia are overwhelming favourites to regain the title they surrendered to the Kiwis in last year's final in Brisbane, having won it for the first time two years ago in Europe.
Dual Manly premiership coach Hasler talks regularly about his Sea Eagles 'flying under the radar' and tries to claim the underdog tag for his team, even when they are rated near-certainties to win.
And, speaking just over a week after his men had thrashed New Zealand 42-6 in Newcastle in skipper Darren Lockyer's final game in Australia, Sheens did his best impersonation of Hasler.
"Well we've always come as favourites (but) it's not that easy, we were here in '09 and battled," Sheens said of the tournament two years ago that Australia won with a 46-16 defeat of England in the final.
"Of course the challenge for us is to stay mentally strong."
"You don't always get away to a good start like that (against the Kiwis)."
"The conditions will be vastly different."
"We've been there before so the boys are aware of it and if we are favourites, from our point of view we don't think so but from the media and from the fans I suppose we will be so we've just got to live up to that."
While he obviously rates Stephen Kearney's men highly having seen them also upset Ricky Stuart's Kangaroos in the 2008 World Cup final in Brisbane, Sheens doesn't discount England even if he knows little about Wales.
"We're aware that it's not just a New Zealand and ourselves but also England as well," Sheens said.
"(I) haven't seen much of Wales so I can't really talk about it but I know England will be stronger."
"When we played them at Wigan it was a tough game here in '09."
Sheens admitted that the colder, wetter conditions of the northern hemisphere would 'play a part' in the tournament but star full-back Billy Slater wasn't overly concerned.
"I think everyone's experienced playing in the cold (and) wet, whether you play in the northern hemisphere or southern hemisphere you experience both climates ... but I don't think it will be too much of a factor," Slater said.
"Whoever adapts the best will get the advantage in that aspect."